Isaiah Papali’i has joined the very long list of NRL players to earn a nomination for The Frownlow Medal after being caught drink-driving.
The New Zealand Warriors stood down the forward for the first game of the season after he was charged with low range drink-driving in New Zealand.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 and code-swapper Karmichael Hunt was the most recent recipient.
Papali’i will be hoping that his errant breath test is enough to win him The Frownlow Medal in 2019, but considering the severity of the charges laid against some of his Rugby League ‘Brothas’, he looks unlikely to take home the most prestigious award in Australian sport.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 